New school places option after Sheffield parents’ campaign

Parents at Holt House Infants School have started a campaign against Sheffield Council school extention plans at the school. The authority is consulting on proposals to build a new secondary school on the same site.

Ellen Beardmore

Parents who raised concerns about plans to create extra school places in Sheffield have sparked a change in the consultation.

Sheffield Council is running a consultation into proposals to create more places to meet demand across the city, including building two new secondary schools.

Parents of children at Holt House Infants launched a campaign over plans to merge the school with Carterknowle Juniors to create a new through primary and build a 1,200-place secondary school on the site - with concerns about space per pupil, pollution, traffic, safeguarding and loss of green space.

Council chiefs say responses from parents suggesting alternative ideas have flooded in and as a result a new option of allowing the Bannerdale Centre off Carterknowle Road and close to Holt House to be considered for use as a new school for children aged three to 18 has been added to the consultation.

The suggestion was one of the most frequent requests made by parents.

Coun Jackie Drayton, cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “ We have reviewed the feedback so far and listened to what people are telling us.

“We still have an overarching ambition for the area, which is to provide a great new school, housing, to protect existing green spaces and to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. “With this in mind, we are reviewing all the past options, including freeing up the Bannerdale Centre site and putting forward this new option.

“But to be clear, we want to hear people’s views and any alternative proposals they have.

“All along, we have said decisions have not been made for this site and the consultation is real and all the feedback will be taken into consideration when we make the final proposal.

“I look forward to hearing people’s views.”

There are still places left at one workshop being held as part of the consultation on Tuesday November 10 in Sheffield Town Hall, from 9.30am until 10am.

Call 0114 2506783 to book a place.

An online survey for the consultation is at www.sheffield.gov.uk/schoolplaces.